Advisor at the Royal Court and General Supervisor of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) Dr. Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah, in a lecture he gave at the University of Warsaw on the Kingdom's global humanitarian work, reiterated that the Kingdom is known for its humanitarian and relief role globally. He added that the Saudi humanitarian aid amounted to $95 billion, benefiting 160 countries around the world. Dr. Al-Rabeeah said that in 1950, Saudi Arabia provided international humanitarian aid to the victims of the Punjab floods, and in 1974, the Kingdom established the Saudi Fund for Development aimed at stimulating economic growth in developing countries, where it reached 55 countries within 4 years. In 1999, the Kingdom adopted official and popular donations initiative to support the Kosovo war victims, and in 2004 Saudi Arabia provided donations to the victims of the Pacific tsunami. He added that the Kingdom also made donations to the victims of Cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh in 2007, and in 2008 made donations to the victims of the China earthquake, and provided SR500 million to the World Food Program, the largest donation in the program's history. Dr. Al-Rabeeah highlighted that KSrelief was established under the directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman in 2015 to be a leading center for relief and humanitarian work, the humanitarian arm of the Kingdom and the only body authorized to deliver the Kingdom's aid abroad. He added that the center's humanitarian and relief projects amounted to 2,120 projects in 86 countries in cooperation with 175 international, regional and local partners, with a value of more than $6 billion, of which Yemen had the largest share, and it included various sectors of humanitarian work including education, health, nutrition, shelter, volunteering, protection, water and environmental sanitation, emergency communications, logistics services, and others. He added that the Saudi humanitarian work also included Syrian, Yemeni, and Rohingya refugees in various places of their presence, as well as the assistance provided to alleviate the suffering of people in distress during crises in Sudan, Indonesia, Pakistan, South Africa, Japan, and others, noting that the Kingdom, through KSrelief, provided medical assistance to more than 33 countries during the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). Dr. Al-Rabeeah touched on several initiatives implemented by the center, such as relief and voluntary platforms, documentation, and international registration, such as the Saudi aid platform, the aid platform for refugees (visitors) in the Kingdom, and the electronic donation platform (Sahem), which contributed to boosting the Saudi humanitarian work and enhancing its horizons internationally, and the international volunteer platform. He noted that the medical volunteer programs are among the most targeted programs by the center, given the humanitarian need in the affected and stricken countries. The Voluntary Medical Program plan for the year 2022 included the implementation of 171 voluntary programs, including 22 general programs and 149 medical programs in 58 countries across 4 continents, adding that the Saudi program for separating conjoined twins has become a milestone and an international reference in its field. Since its inception, a total of 125 cases have been examined and checked so far from 23 countries and performed 52 surgeries to separate Siamese and parasitic twins. — SPA
